Jones Act

Captain Kick ass is going to war against the oil spill, but apparently this is a battle that will be fought unilaterally. Foreign offers of help? Thanks but no thanks.

“While there is no need right now that the U.S. cannot meet, the U.S. Coast Guard is assessing these offers of assistance to see if there will be something which we will need in the near future.” One month later, many of these offers are still outstanding.

Every thing’s under control. No, we don’t need that specialized Belgian vessel that could clean up the mess in three months, compared to an estimated 9 months it’s going to take us.

Why?

Blame it on the protectionist Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also called the Jones Act, that requires ships working in U.S. waters to be built, operated and owned by Americans. Building specialized clean-up vessels in the U.S. is too expensive because of high union labor costs, and unions don’t want ships built with foreign labor to be used in U.S. waters.

Can just about every bad thing about the United States be traced to a union?

While he may be refusing foreign help, let’s not assume President Tarball is doing nothing. He’s created a COMMISSION! Yea!!!

The panel appointed by President Barack Obama to investigate the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is short on technical expertise but long on talking publicly about “America’s addiction to oil.” One member has blogged about it regularly.

Et tu, AP?

Only one of the seven commissioners, the dean of Harvard’s engineering and applied sciences school, has a prominent engineering background — but it’s in optics and physics. Another is an environmental scientist with expertise in coastal areas and the after-effects of oil spills. Both are praised by other scientists.

I’m dying to know what type of conclusions they come up with. Aren’t you? But there simply is NO WAY OF KNOWING, now is there?

The White House said the commission will focus on the government’s “too cozy” relationship with the oil industry. A presidential spokesman said panel members will “consult the best minds and subject matter experts” as they do their work.

The best minds? But no Nobel prize winners.

Jerry Taylor of the libertarian Cato Institute described the investigation as “an exercise in political theater where the findings are preordained by the people put on the commission.”

Oh Jerry … you’re such a spoil-sport.

Ok, it’s Saturday. I’ve got a Costco run and gardening in my near future.